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Kantar has partnered with digital measurement and analytics company comScore to provide cross-media audience and campaign measurement in non-US markets. ComScore will issue 4.45% in shares in exchange for the benefits of the strategic alliance and acquisition of European internet audience measurement assets. WPP will also purchase up to 15% of comScore’s shares, giving WPP a total ownership stake of 15-20%. Eric Salama, Kantar CEO, said: “By partnering with comScore and combining our respective strengths, we will integrate data and expertise to give our clients a new standard in measuring audiences and campaigns across multiple platforms. This continues our strategy of combining survey, panel and census data and putting digital at the heart of all we do.”

2014 was another record year for WPP as headline profit before tax topped £1.5 billion for the first time in the Group’s history. The results, which beat City forecasts, revealed particularly strong growth in advertising and media investment management and in direct, digital and interactive.

GroupM has established MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare in sub-Saharan Africa, supplementing its existing offering in South Africa and northern Africa. This development follows the lead of parent company WPP, which last year gained a controlling interest in Scangroup, the leading advertising and communications services group in East Africa. Based in Nairobi, Nandu Buty will assume day-to-day leadership of GroupM in the region, in addition to his responsibilities as Chief Operating Officer of Scangroup. Monica Kambo, Rajiv Gopinath and Mac Machaiah will serve respectively as the agency leads for MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare.

New Offers

WPP’s Government & Public Sector Practice has established a team to drive excellence in communications and research for European Union institutional clients. They will be given access to the best of WPP agencies’ talent and thinking on citizen engagement, policy communications and behaviour change. The team will led by Laure Van Hauwaert, formerly Institutional Communications Director at Ogilvy Brussels.

Millward Brown has launched a new unit that will bring together its marketing science, strategic research and analytic consulting teams, to supply businesses with data intelligence services. The Millward Brown Analytics team will be the backbone of the agency’s analytics offer across North America and will also partner with other Kantar companies to meet key client needs.

Kantar Worldpanel has launched its out-of-home panel in China to track the purchase and consumption of snacks and beverages in the country. The data will enable Kantar’s clients to better understand the market and find new growth opportunities. Kantar has already established panels in Spain and Indonesia, and aims to launch them in the UK and other markets before the end of the year.

New Business

, the first time that the Australian wine making group has appointed a single agency to handle all of its marketing needs.

People

to Worldwide Chief Operating Officer.

, as she is appointed CEO for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Awards

having received the same accolade from AdAge in January.

New Business Enquiries

Are you looking for an advertising or marketing services partner? WPP can help point you in the right direction — find out how.

Insights

Millward Brown Digital has released Getting Audiences Right, a study exploring the ways in which different generations use digital devices. The research found that 77% of Millennials use a smartphone daily, compared to 60% of Gen X survey respondents and 42% of Baby Boomers. 77% of Millennials were found to watch TV daily, compared to 86% of Gen X and 91% of Baby Boomers, suggesting that the use of mobiles by Millennials comes at the expense of TV interaction.

A report by Metalworks, the global R&D division and creative tech unit of Maxus, examines the latest developments in automotive technologies. The study explores how automotive brands, tech companies and universities are researching and advancing autonomous driving technologies, as well as 3D-printed vehicles and cars powered by hybrid and alternative energy.

Genesis Burson-Marsteller has released TR:OUTH 2015, a forecast of the trends that young Indians are set to follow in 2015. The agency’s predictions are based on pan-India brainstorming sessions that were conducted with participants from Millennial and Gen X age groups across different industry sectors.

Find the latest and best published thinking from Group professionals in WPP’s popular Reading Room: groundbreaking articles, research, books, videos, blogs and more.

Some recent features:

The WPP Government & Public Sector Practice has released a report examining ways to increase voter participation in elections. The study combines behavioural theories with insights from practitioners who have led some of the most successful turnout campaigns in recent years, drawing on experiences from Australia, Canada, the EU, India, New Zealand, Tunisia, the UK and the USA.

that the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 provides an opportunity for Malaysia’s brands to expand internationally. He suggests that brands with vision should be cautiously optimistic about the year ahead.